The Panthers earned a point for their first winning season (36-34-11) since 1999-00, but felt they should have had the win on a night the teams combined for a Panthers-record 97 shots. Earlier this season, they combined for 89.

"We had a lot of chances ... we had confidence, it just seemed we couldn't bury them tonight," said winger Jon Sim, who had five goals in the past three games against the Caps. "They had the goaltending. Unfortunately we didn't get the win."

With about one minute left in the third period, Joe Nieuwendyk hit the left post on a breakaway. Before the whistle was blown on the delayed penalty -- Nieuwendyk was hooked from behind -- Nathan Horton and Nieuwendyk each had chances but couldn't convert. Neither could the Panthers on the power play.

"I had him beat, it just got most of the post," said Nieuwendyk, who made a beautiful play on Gary Roberts' goal 5:13 into the second period that gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

Skating up the left side, Nieuwendyk juked Johnson out of position, circled the back of the goal and slid the puck into the crease for Roberts, who tapped it into an open net.

Washington tied it at 13:07 on rookie Alexander Ovechkin's 51st goal. Shaone Morrisonn slid a long pass down the ice past a pair of Panthers defensemen, Ovechkin cruised in on a breakaway and beat McLennan glove side.

With 2:31 left in the first period, Pettinger was unsuccessful on a penalty shot -- awarded when Jay Bouwmeester hooked him -- as he failed to fool McLennan with a deke and ran out of room.

The Capitals had 15 shots after the first 6:10, which included two power plays, and ended the period with a franchise-record 24 shots. That was one fewer than the most the Panthers have allowed in a period this season.

"We came out a little sluggish, left Noodles [McLennan] hung out to dry there," Sim said. "Once we picked it up in the second and third, I thought we controlled most of the game except for the penalties."

Nieuwendyk has been selected as the Panthers' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy by the South Florida chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

"Gary [Roberts] won it earlier in his career [1996] and I know what it means to him," Nieuwendyk said. "Just to have people think of you that way makes you feel good." ...

McLennan started in goal for the third time in four games. Martin said Roberto Luongo's shoulder, reinjured in Thursday's game, is fine and he'll start the season finale, but that this stretch is a chance to use McLennan more. ...

Defenseman Alexei Semenov was in the lineup for the fourth consecutive game, two nights after scoring his first goal as a Panther. Semenov was a healthy scratch for 29 games in a row until April 9.

"I feel awesome out there, confident," Semenov said. "It's tough to get in the last five or six games, but I felt pretty good and I'm trying to keep up."